JAPANESE LANGUAGE
Mama, Papa: How the Japanese Words for Parents Lost Out to English
"Mama" and "papa" are such ubiquitous parental terms in Japan that it's easy to forget they're foreign words - words the government…
meiji era
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JAPANESE LANGUAGE
HISTORY
Meiji Mura: A Journey to Japan’s Modern Past
In Japan, the recent past is often obscured beneath endless concrete. Meiji Mura is one of the few places to discover the…
FEATURED
The Disappearance of Meiji: Why it’s Hard to Find Tokyo’s Recent Past
In Tokyo, the recent past is often obscured beneath endless concrete. Take a journey through the city's history to discover why.
HISTORY
Abortion In Japan: A History
A look at how abortion in Japan evolved throughout the ages, from a financial necessity to a call for the acknowledgment of…
HISTORY
The Last Samurai Vendetta: The Revenge of Usui Rokuro
In 1873, the newly-minted Meiji government banned the age-old practice of kataki-uchi: blood revenge. Seven years later, the son of a murdered…
ENTERTAINMENT
Bankara: Meiji Japan’s Anti-Fashion Movement
As the era of the samurai ended and Japan rushed towards modernization, a rough-scrabble fashion movement called the Bankara rose in opposition.
HISTORY
The Last Daimyo: The Life of Hayashi Tadataka
Amidst the backdrop of World War II's start, one last survivor of the old Edo period order died. Who was Hayashi Tadataka,…
FEATURED
Coffee in Japan: A Short, Tasty History
Did you know canned coffee is a Japanese invention? Learn how coffee went from foreign luxury to everyday staple in Japan.